3 Questions You Need To Ask

Social media tools are easy to acquire… Sure. But just like a sharp knife, you may not want to hand it over to any shlub that walks into the kitchen. If your company wants to start cooking up some social media marketing, you’d better be ready to do some serious planning.

If social media is like a big cocktail party, let’s think of social media MARKETING this way…

When gathering recipes for your next big shindig, you probably don’t want to mingle the sushi with thesnow cones(only at my parties). So, in the same spirit, why would companies insist on throwing anything and everything into their social media marketing mix?

Many companies are starting to really turn up the heat on their social media “marketing.” They’ve set up Twitter accounts and launched Facebook pages and groups; but it looks like they haven’t thought of their brand, their target audience or, in some instances, even political correctness.Seriously?

Trust me, a meal consisting of three cups of unashamed self promotion, a tablespoon of ego, 1/4 cup of chaos and a pinch of nonsense will give your target audience nothing but a serious case of indigestion.

Create engagement and value with an integrated social media marketing strategy.

Here are three simple “Brandchef-a-fied” questions to ask yourself before that next tweetfest…

Are you working from a proven recipe?
If you have a marketing plan with goals and targets, see how social media can be integrated into it. Don’t throw the whole dish out just because there’s a new ingredient.

Social media is so new that social media marketing is struggling to keep up with new developments, new policies, new technology, not to mention new users. The right recipe – a proven crowd-pleaser – will help to solidify your position, extend your marketing message and your brand. Just spice it up using the great tools social media has to offer!

Does your meal have any nutritional value?
Empty promises or veiled attempts at engagement, just like empty calories, won’t add value.

If you have a truly strategic marketing plan (with the customer in mind), your social media marketing efforts should reflect those same values and benefit your audience. Superficial fluff, inane updates and ego-driven campaigns will only show your audience that you’re in it for yourself and soon they’ll walk away from the table – full, and dissatisfied.

How many dishes are in your sink?Máma BrandCheffio used to say, “If you have a sink full of dishes, you know you have a house full of happy kids.” The same goes for your social media marketing campaign.

If you can measure results based on a working strategy, then you know what kind of appetite your audience has. Set your goals, feed them the first course, and watch for the return. With those kinds of metrics you can make changes to your recipes on-the-fly – assuring an always full sink.

With any soiree, the planner has a lot of responsibilities. As long as your strategy is truthful, transparent, relevant, unique and engaging, everyone at the party will have a great time, and soon you will be the talk of the town.

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TheBrandChef is about as well rounded marketer as you can get. He can design, strategize, analyze, and execute on any size marketing project from web to video and more.Andy Brudtkuhl

Using {TheBrandChef’s} T.R.U.E. brand methodology we have been able to creating a marketing plan and marketing that works. I have always marveled at how he can incorporate existing assets and create cohesive branding for a company or product.Douglas Lewis

Andrew has a great marketing mind and creative soul. His process for working with clients and their brand is unique and spot on. For social media, there’s no one better than Andrew. He’s an expert in social media strategy integration and Web-based marketing. Each time he develops a marketing strategy it’s creative, original, and relevant. It’s clear there is a proven process behind his genius…Grant Griswold